Besides the fact that last night’s World Cup final was very, very exciting, things also got extremely intense. There was constant pushing and pulling, and after Spain's victory, some players from the Argentine team even started fighting. Really embarrassing, if you ask me. Fortunately, this time the referee did hand out yellow cards and eventually even red cards.
Receiving a yellow or red card not only has consequences within the match, but also results in a fine. The players don’t have to pay it themselves, but national football associations sometimes have to dig deep into their pockets. So: How much will Argentina pay in fines for all the yellow and red cards?
In total, Argentina received six yellow cards last night, one of which was for the national coach. After a second yellow card, Enzo Fernández had to leave the field with a red card at the end of regular time. Then, after the match, another card was handed out. Leandro Paredes grabbed Spanish defender Eric García by the throat before going after Spanish midfielder Gavi. After that, even more Argentine players got into a fight with each other, but they did not receive a card.
For every yellow card, the football association has to pay $10,000. If a player receives a second yellow card in the same match, the fine rises to $15,000. If a player receives a straight red card, the highest fine applies: $20,000.
After a quick calculation, Argentina comes out to over $100,000 in fines—and that’s just for this final match. However, the Argentine team earns $33 million for finishing second, which suddenly makes the fines seem a lot less steep.
